<p>So, I'm considering marrying a female friend (at a different university) to obtain an independent status for financial aid purposes. I'm a Regent's Scholar at Berkeley, which means that all need-based expenses will be covered if I am independent. Currently, I'm receiving an honorary stipend of $1000 compared to total costs well over $20,000 because I'm fortunate that my family's income is enough to contribute the full costs of my education (so, although not financially crippling, it is a burden that I'd like to alleviate as it takes up a not insignificant portion of my parent's income). I'm intending it to be a strictly business proposition, and it looks great from that perspective (~$100 for a marriage license v. ~$20,000 a year). </p>
<p>Has anyone done anything similar with success, or can anyone advise on the viability/advisability of the plan? Of course, I could pursue alternative scholarships, and I am doing so, but the tremendous amount of more-or-less free money available for something so simple is rather enticing.</p>
<p>College is supposed to be expensive. Doing this will rob someone of the opportunity you can afford but don’t want to. There’s only so much money to go around. If it’s that much of a burden to pay perhaps you should go to a cheaper school instead of defrauding your current school.</p>
<p>If you are currently a dependent of your parents’ (see their 2010 1040 tax form to see whether you are), then even if you marry now, you remain a dependent student for college FA for four years.</p>
<p>If you want your plan to work, then you need to take a gap year and make sure your parents do not claim you on their 2011 taxes. Marry, then start college in Fall 2012 (academic year 12-13). You will file a new FAFSA in Jan 2012 based on your income for 2011 and your wife’s.</p>
<p>I would suggest you check to see if your state is a community property state. If you marry someone, this could increase your legal responsibility and financial obligations for debts incurred by your wife.</p>
<p>I personally do not make any moral judgments about marriages of conveniences because marriage is a legal agreement.</p>
<p>And you think that colleges haven’t figure that out?</p>
<p>Most colleges won’t change financial aid based on a change of marital status from when the student first enrolled or the award was first written. If they did, you would see a lot more campus weddings.</p>
This may be true for some schools’ institutional aid, but is not true at all for federal aid. For FAFSA and for federal aid you do not automatically stay a dependent for four years - it is reevaluated every year when you file FAFSA. If you meet one of the criteria to be considered independent on the day you file FAFSA in any given year, then you are independent for that school year.</p>
<p>Also, whether you are claimed as a dependent on your parent’s tax returns has nothing to do with whether you are a dependent or not for FAFSA. FAFSA has a series of questions that determines whether you are a dependent or independent (age, marital status, veteran etc). None of the questions relate to whether you are claimed on a parents tax returns. A student can be not claimed as a dependent on parent taxes and still be considered a dependent for FAFSA. And the opposite is also true - a student may be claimed as a dependent on taxes, but be considered independent for FAFSA.</p>
<p>FWIW, I think getting married for FA purposes is a bad idea.</p>
<p>There was an article specifically about this in the NY Times in Feb of this year. It profiled students at University of California at Berkeley who have done this. Not only did they gain independence, they also gained instate status and saved a boatload of $$. Berkeley claimed that a valid marriage license was their requirement and that of all undergraduates, only 416 were married.<br>
The article also gave space to someone who developed a web matchmaking service specifically devoted to those seeking “paper marriages” for financial aid benefits.</p>
<p>And you don’t think Berkeley will NOTICE that your spouse is at a different school? This would be a recipe for verification. Also consider what this will do for your “spouse”. Sometimes it is NOT advantageous to be independent for financial aid purposes. Independent students have very different income/asset protections on the FAFSA. Don’t just consider yourself…consider your “spouse”. AND add in the costs of getting your divorce too. YMMV.</p>
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<p>Your parents and your tax filing status has NO BEARING on independent student status for financial aid. You can be independent for tax purposes (parents don’t claim you on their taxes) and STILL be considered dependent for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>I don’t think that the fact the spouse is at a different school will matter…that does happen. Even if the school does think that the marriage was for FA purposes, there’s nothing it can do. We don’t delve into the “why’s” of marriage unless it’s between a citizen and non-citizen. </p>
<p>If my son marries before he goes to med school, he and his wife will be at different schools (they have considered doing this). I doubt the schools are going to question whether their marriage is real or not. </p>
<p>Yes, there are (legal) things people do that we don’t like to get more benefits. We might not like it, but this is a free country and there’s nothing that can be done about it.</p>
<p>As a parent who is paying the expenses for DD while she is in college, I would hate for her to marry to save me money. I am happy to write the check.</p>
<p>I am in a situation a little bit different than yours. I want to know if getting married to my long term boyfriend as a sophomore and him as a jr. in college will make us considered independent. We are going to be living in are own are apartment next year anyways and are families can literally contribute nothing to help us. I think the finical aid system is retreated anyway. Why is my boyfriend and me in a situation where the government says are families will be able to contribute to our educations when they either can’t or refuse to help?? My real question here though is would me and my boyfriend be able to switch are titles to independent upon the presentation of a marriage licenses, and with are EFC’s being 0, will we be able to get more finical support??</p>
<p>It’s not as easy as it sounds. First of all, it won’t affect your financial aid for this year, as you know. Maybe, it will affect it for the next school year. However, bear in mind that Berkeley does not guarantee to meet financial need, so it’s not like you are going to get a windfall from them. All it guarantees you is the PELL IF your FAFSA EFC is low enough. But the FAFSA is going to want all monies that not only your parents give you this 2011 year but also what your wife’s parents gave her. It’s not like you can be married and get supported and not report the support you got. Oh, you will be offered more Stafford money, $4K more.</p>
<p>I don’t know how the Cal Grants work, so I cannot comment on those.</p>
<p>A lot of grad students who want to get married, have to sit down and work out the numbers as it often is disadvantageous to be independent. Depends on what both of you are getting in terms of support and what you might have in assets as well. </p>
<p>A lot less complicated if your parents just separated and your mom lives off a small settlement while you are in school. Why don’t you suggest that to your folks? They have double digits in years of trust there. When you marry someone, there is a whole lot of trust you may have to put into this whole thing. I shudder at the thought of the prenup that you will have to put together. Other wise all kinds of crazy things can happen as a result of the marital status they you may not have anticipated. Like your folks maybe dying and you inherit, and CA is community property you know.</p>
<p>*I want to know if getting married to my long term boyfriend as a sophomore and him as a jr. in college will make us considered independent. We are going to be living in are own are apartment next year anyways and are families can literally contribute nothing to help us. I think the finical aid system is retreated anyway. Why is my boyfriend and me in a situation where the government says are families will be able to contribute to our educations when they either can’t or refuse to help?? My real question here though is would me and my boyfriend be able to switch are titles to independent upon the presentation of a marriage licenses, and with are EFC’s being 0, will we be able to get more finical support?? *</p>
<p>Getting married won’t change your EFC’s this year if you’ve already filed FAFSA for this year. If you haven’t filed FAFSA yet, then you could marry and then file as married. However, you can’t file as a dependent, marry, and then change your status to “married, independent.” </p>
<p>I’m wondering why someone who is in college does not know how to spell the words “our” and “financial”. And, what the heck does this mean: “I think the finical aid system is retreated anyway.”</p>
<p>"I’m wondering why someone who is in college does not know how to spell the words “our” and “financial”. And, what the heck does this mean: “I think the finical aid system is retreated anyway.” </p>
<p>@mom2collegekids, I was thinking the same thing!</p>